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  Safe-Delete - a tiny add-on to macOS terminal that modifies raw 'rm'

Safe-Delete

A safe replacement for rm that moves files to a local trash instead of deleting them permanently.

Built with modern C++17 using only standard libraries.

How It Works

Safe‑Delete keeps things simple on purpose. When you “delete” a file, it doesn’t destroy it. It moves a verified copy into a private trash folder under your home directory:

~/.safe-trash/<unique-id>/

Inside that folder you’ll see:

• the original file or directory (same name as before)
• a small meta.txt file with info like original path, time, size, and permissions

The Flow for each command

• safe-rm: copies the file/dir into ~/.safe-trash, checks the copy exists, then removes the original
• safe-list: reads all meta.txt files and prints a simple table
• safe-restore: moves an item back to its original path (asks you if there’s more than one match)
• safe-purge: deletes old entries (or everything if you confirm)

Why this Design

It’s boring on purpose: no cloud, no GUI, no system Trash tricks. Everything is just files and folders you can inspect. That makes it easy to trust, easy to debug, and easy to extend later.

Rarity & Originality

This project is intentionally simple today, but it provides unique, out‑of‑the‑box additions that almost none operating system offers by default. Its originality is in being a local‑first, developer‑friendly safety layer that you can inspect and control — no system Trash quirks, no cloud, no magic.

How to Build

From the project root:

git clone https://github.com/PavloICSA/safe-delete.git
cd safe-delete
cmake -B build
cmake --build build

Setup for Daily Use (Terminal Everywhere)

Right now you can run the binary with a full path, like:

/path/to/safe-delete/safe-rm file.txt

That works from any folder. To make it even smoother, choose one of these options:

Option A: Add to PATH (recommended)

Add this line to your ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="/path/to/safe-delete:$PATH"

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc

Now you can run:

safe-rm file.txt

from anywhere.

Option B: Alias rm to safe-rm (extra safety)

If you want protection by default, add this after the PATH line:

alias rm='safe-rm'

Now any rm you type in your Terminal will use Safe-Delete instead.

Quick check

Open a new Terminal window and run:

which safe-rm

If it prints the path to your project, you're all set.

Built With

• c++